


Hunger

by Capricornbread



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-09-01 00:34:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20249218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capricornbread/pseuds/Capricornbread
Summary: What if, instead of eating a shoe, something more exciting happened?





	Hunger

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dionte](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dionte/gifts).

> This fic takes place during FMA: Brotherhood Episode 25 "Doorway of Darkness" (chapter 51 of the manga) after they're consumed by Gluttony.
> 
> Written because Dionte told me the world needs more Ed/Ling.

“I thought you were gonna leave me behind.”

“There’s way too many people I’d be letting down by dying here. And you’ve got people waiting for you to get back too, right?”

Ed had thought that had sounded good when he said it. But, honestly, he couldn't believe this guy, trying to give up like that. Making Ed into his own personal pack mule. As if wading through this ocean of blood wasn't hard enough without an idiot prince slung over his shoulder.

“You're real heavy, you know that?” The torch between his teeth made the insult into a mumble.

A beat with no response. He paused to readjust the deadweight, taking the torch in his mechanical hand and using his left arm to wrap securely around his passenger. “You hear me, Ling? You better not be passed out or something back there. What a nuisance.”

“Hey now, that's not a very nice thing to say to a poor starving future-emperor.”

Ed could hear that stupid grin. So the guy was still conscious. Ed wouldn’t admit it, but having Ling there was the only thing keeping him sane in this place. He let out an exasperated puff of air, “I still can’t believe you were about to just give up back there. After everything that happened today, don’t you think that would be way too dumb of a way to die?”

Another moment of silence passed before the almost inaudible reply, “After everything that happened today, maybe I deserve-”

Ed’s fist interrupted Ling. There wasn’t much leverage behind the punch, but a direct shot to the kidney was enough to knock the wind out of him for a moment.

“Shut up! If you were about to say you deserve to die here, don’t bother. I’ll carry you, but I’ll be damned if I have to listen to your pity-party. Back at the house, you told me that you’re too weak. Then stay alive and get stronger, you idiot.”

An almost hysterical sound, somewhere between and a laugh and a sob bubbled out of Ling, “I don’t need you to tell me that.”

“Maybe not. But I’m pretty much the expert at feeling guilty over bad decisions. So, welcome to the club.”

For awhile they were silent again. The only sound was the gentle sloshing of Ed wading through knee-deep blood and his labored breathing.  
“Thanks, Ed.”

The genuine tone of gratitude in Ling’s voice caught him off guard for a second, “Don’t mention it. But if you still have enough energy left to talk, then wa-”

The clang of an automail foot striking stone stopped him short as he tripped over some debris. The lopsided weight he was carrying was enough to throw him off balance and the two toppled into the putrid red liquid. Attempting to keep the torch from being submerged, Ed landed face first and the pressure of Ling on top of him forced the air out of his lungs. His body betrayed him in an attempt to inhale and was met with the sickening feeling of choking instead.

Insistent arms yanked him up and banded around him to keep him standing. He leaned into Ling to keep from falling again, coughing the blood out of his lungs and puking up red-tinged bile.

“You okay?” Ling asked him.

Ed just nodded in response, spitting and wiping some of the muck from his mouth with the back of his hand.

They sagged into each other as they half crawled to a nearby platform of raised stone, climbing out of the sea of blood and collapsing into a drenched heap of panting.

Ed’s forehead was resting on the ground above Ling’s shoulder and he was suddenly aware that he had landed fully on top of the other man, their chests pressed together with Ling’s arms still around him. He wanted to get up, but the human contact felt good and he couldn’t make himself break away from it.

How long had it been since he’d felt the warmth of another person like this? And why should it matter when his quest wasn’t finished yet? He didn’t have time for. . . whatever the hell this was.

He grimaced in embarrassment, ready for the sarcastic comment that he was sure was going to come from Ling at any moment. Instead they both lay there in hushed stillness, breathing becoming more steady in each other’s ears. He could feel the even thudding of Ling’s heart in his own ribcage and realized his own pulse was racing. He really hoped Ling didn’t notice and, again to his surprise, no smart-alecky remark was made.

Ed finally craned his head up, thinking that maybe Ling had fallen asleep and that was the reason for the strange silence between them. Instead he found his own face mirrored in the piercing blackness of Ling’s eyes, a couple inches from his own. The focus in those eyes was so intense. The expression so. . .

Greedy.

Ed could feel the blood rushing into his face. But he also felt it rushing. . . somewhere else. He made a move to pull away, desperate to conceal what was already noticeably straining against the tightness of his pants. Ling tightened his arms, that familiar grin spreading across his face. He held Ed still against him, then with a practiced movement, rolled his hips up sharply. The sudden friction made them both suck in the air between them.

“Ling. . .” he meant that as objection, but by the time it snaked out from between his lips it sounded like a plea. What the hell was going on?

Ling’s hands slid from behind Ed’s back, fingers gliding down to grip into hip bones.

Ed’s fist came down into Ling’s face.

“What the hell?” Ed exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

Ling looked up at him with those same burning eyes, “Aw, don’t act all indignant now.”

He stood and advanced a few steps, until their bodies were almost touching again. He took Ed’s chin between his index finger and thumb, tilting the blonde’s head up until their eyes were locked again. “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of everything being terrible. We don’t know if there’s even a way to get out of here. So, what’s the problem?”

Ed jerked his face free and swung his fist again, but Ling was ready and sidestepped. He dropped low and swept an outstretched leg around, kicking Ed’s legs out from under him. Ed clapped his palms together and the ground underneath Ling shot upwards, the small pillar sending the prince off balance. The distraction wasn’t long enough for Ed to get back to his feet, though, and one of Ling’s knees came down hard onto his sternum, pinning him back down. When he tried to bring his hands together for another transmutation, Ling sandwiched his own hands between them, “Alchemy doesn’t make for a very fair fight, don’t you think?”

“As if you know anything about how to fight fair.”

Ling shrugged, his grin widening, “You started it.”

“Yeah, well, you were making fun of me, you bastard.”

With a blur of motion Ed’s hands were pushed down on either side of his head, Ling’s knees on either side of Ed’s hips and his face once again close enough to feel the words, “I wasn’t.”

“Prove it-” Ed’s eyes widened as Ling closed the gap between their lips, devouring the challenge before it could even leave Ed’s mouth. The kiss was rough and demanding and scorched away every coherent thought that wasn’t need.

Winry, Lan Fan, Scar, the homunculus, even Al. . . the harder Ed and Ling mashed their bodies together, the further away those haunting thoughts became. Ling was right: everything was terrible. But Ed felt like he was on the brink of resurrection.

When Ling tried to pull away, Ed felt himself begging upward to keep the contact. He could feel that stupid grin creeping in between their mouths and it just made him hungrier for it.

Ling released his wrists and yanked open Ed’s shirt, peeling the blood soaked fabric away. Everywhere their bare flesh touched was boiling.

Ed grabbed Ling and rolled them over so he was back on top, as he had been when this first started. He felt his body grinding down, Ling meeting every movement. Desperation in the uncontrollable rhythm. It felt like something had taken over him. Like his body was wound tight and would have to either break or unravel at any moment. That tension was curling in the pit of his stomach, wrapping it's way up his spine like a cord of lightning.

The world had shrunk to the size of that filthy stone dias, where they writhed and rutted against each other like animals. He was only barely aware of Ling’s hands on his belt, unbuckling with such fluid motions that it was almost like he had practiced it.

"Well, well, well. I thought I saw light coming from over here. But this isn't quite what I thought I'd find,” Envy’s unwelcome voice was loud and derisive as the homunculus sauntered out of the darkness toward them, “Should I ask to join? As if I’d want to do something so disgusting.”

Like a pair of magnets, Ling and Ed sprang away from each other. Although the torch still glowed faintly between them, that fire scorching Ed from the inside had been turned to ice by Envy’s jeers. He shakily refastened his pants.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t let me stop you two love-birds. It looked like you were just getting to the good part,” Envy shrugged, “Besides, there’s no way out of here. Might as well do whatever you want.”

Humiliation. Guilt. Anger. They burned across Ed’s face. But more than that. . .

“Wait, no way out?” Ed hated how vulnerable and small his own voice sounded.

The way out. The people who were counting on them. How could Ed forget about them, even for a second? He glanced at the idiot prince, expecting to see the same look of shame reflected back. Instead Ling’s determined eyes drilled into him.

“You better not be thinking about giving up. After that pep talk you gave me about all the people you’d be letting down if you died here? Well, looks like now I’m one of those people. So let's get out of here, Ed. Together,” he stretched his hand across the space between them.

Ed shook his hand, but took the hand firmly in his own, “Idiot prince.”

Envy rolled his eyes dramatically.


End file.
